Egg - About the size of a grain of sand and whitish in color, flea eggs are very hard to see. After an adult lays its eggs in an animals' fur, they often fall out onto the carpet, pet's bedding in homes or onto the soil when eggs are located outside.
Flea eggs are not black . They're a translucent, off-white color. However, flea-infested pets will have black specks in their fur. This small, reddish-black matter is the dry feces from adult fleas.
Dog fleas and cat fleas are brownish-black to black in color, but once they have taken in blood, they become reddish-black. Adult fleas of these species are small – roughly ⅛ inches in length.
People often mistake “flea dirt,” or flea feces, for flea eggs—though both are signs of a flea infestation. Unlike flea eggs, flea dirt is dark and crumbly. You can identify flea dirt by putting a few of the specks on a white piece of paper and adding a couple drops of water.
But flea eggs are smooth and oval-shaped, and usually don't tend to accumulate on cats (flea eggs typically fall off within a few hours). Dandruff, on the other hand, tends to stick to and stay in the hair. So if you're seeing white flakes on your cat, it's most likely dandruff.
Cat Dandruff vs. Both dandruff and flea eggs are tiny and white. But flea eggs are smooth and oval-shaped, and usually don't tend to accumulate on cats (flea eggs typically fall off within a few hours). Dandruff, on the other hand, tends to stick to and stay in the hair.
The most effective products to kill flea eggs include insect growth regulators (IGRs). These compounds, called isoxazolines, are safe for pets.
What Kills Flea Eggs?
Opt for a powder or spray product labeled as an adulticide and an insect growth regulator, killing both fleas and eggs. Fleas tend to move when confronted with an insecticide, and leaving any surface untreated allows the infestation to resume a few weeks later, so be thorough in your application.
It doesn't need to be quite freezing, or 32 degrees Fahrenheit, for fleas to freeze. Once the temperatures fall to 37 degrees, it's cold enough to kill mature fleas as well as eggs, larvae and pupae.
Vacuuming kills adult and non-adult fleas (eggs, larvae, pupae), which means you don't need to worry about what to do with the vacuum bag or canister.
The most effective ones contain ingredients such as permethrin, imidacloprid, or dinotefuran that are lethal to the biting adult stage, and an “insect growth regulator” (e.g., methoprene, pyriproxyfen) that halts development of flea eggs and larvae.
Sprays with IGR, like Sentry Home household flea and tick spray for pets, are great for killing flea eggs in your home.
USE: SENTRY PRO Flea & Tick Shampoo for Dogs and Puppies kills fleas and ticks for up to 14 days. It also kills flea eggs for 30 days to help prevent reinfestation.